TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Friday 30 August 2024

Anti-piracy win, Oscars race, Nine Entertainment's profit drop, new series, Emily James' Coronaville, Paramount's push, Latin America rise, UK tax relief, Petra Costa doc, Olympic streaming impact.

Today’s Highlights:

• Top Movie Piracy Ring Taken Down: The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) successfully shut down Fmovies and its affiliated sites, among the largest pirate streaming operations globally. This included the arrest of two Vietnamese men involved in the operation.

• Oscars Best International Feature 2025: Turkey and Iraq have entered their films into the race for the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature category, joining a competitive field of global contenders.

• Australia's Nine Entertainment Profit Decline: Despite a 5% revenue increase for Stan, Nine Entertainment reported a 31% fall in profits, prompting plans for cost-cutting and potential M&A options.

• Series to Watch: September 2024: A diverse lineup of new series releases in September 2024, including The Penguin and My Brilliant Friend S4, offers fresh content across multiple genres.

• Emily James on 'Coronaville': After a career in factual content, Emily James transitioned to drama with the creation of Coronaville, inspired by the challenges she faced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

• Paramount ANZ Pushes for Big Australian Dramas: Paramount ANZ focuses on producing high-quality Australian scripted dramas to stay competitive in the streaming market and support the local creative industry.

• Latin America's Rising Prominence in Media: Latin American content is gaining international traction, with industry experts predicting the region could experience a global breakthrough similar to Money Heist.

• UK Film Tax Relief Claims: UK film tax relief claims increased to £553 million in 2022-23, though they have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the industry's ongoing recovery.

• Petra Costa's 'Apocalypse in the Tropics': Oscar-nominated director Petra Costa's documentary at the Venice Film Festival explores the shift of democracies towards theocracies, focusing on Brazil's evangelical movement.

• Streaming Ratings and Olympic Impact: For the first time, no original series or movie made Nielsen's top 10 streaming titles, with streaming numbers declining outside of the Olympics, although House of the Dragon performed well.

Plus: News, Insights, Festivals & Markets, Executive Moves, In Development, Deals, Renewals and Jobs with Wide Eye Films, UKTV, Sky, BBC, ITV, Netflix, Prime, NBCUniversal, Tubi, Fox, Sony, DR, Red Bull, Leonine & Mediawan.

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NEWS

Top Movie Piracy Ring Taken Down, Major Studios’ Enforcement Group Claims

An anti-piracy coalition, including major U.S. and global studios, has announced a significant victory against Fmovies, a major streaming operation based in Vietnam. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) worked with Hanoi police to shut down Fmovies and its affiliated sites, which ACE described as "the largest pirate streaming operation in the world." The network, which included sites like bflixz, flixtorz, movies7, fixer, and any wave, amassed over 6.7 billion visits between January 2023 and June 2024. The crackdown also led to the closure of video hosting provider Vidsrc.to, operated by the same suspects. Two Vietnamese men have been arrested in connection with the operation. Read More

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Oscars Best International Feature 2025: Turkey and Iraq enter the race

Turkey and Iraq have officially submitted their entries for the 2025 Oscars in the Best International Feature category. The films represent each country's cinematic achievements and cultural narratives, joining a competitive field of global contenders. Read More

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Australia's Nine Entertainment suffers 31% fall in profits despite Stan revenue hike

Nine Entertainment, the parent company of Australia’s Nine Network and streamer Stan, reported a 31% decline in profit for the year ending in June, with profits falling from A$194.5m to A$135m and a 32% drop in television earnings. However, Stan saw a 5% revenue growth, reaching A$447.7m, and a 24% rise in earnings, driven by 2.3 million subscribers. CEO Mike Sneesby highlighted growth in TV audiences and diversified revenue streams, while the company plans to cut costs by A$100m over the next two years, leading to 200 redundancies. Nine is also considering more flexible M&A options, potentially involving publishing or radio assets. Read More

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INSIGHTS

Series to Watch: September 2024

September 2024 brings a fresh slate of must-watch series across various genres, offering something for every viewer, including Dead & Buried (Sept 2, UK), which follows a mother seeking revenge on her brother's killer. The Perfect Couple (Sept 5, Netflix) centres on a deadly wedding. My Brilliant Friend S4 (Sept 9, HBO) concludes the Italian drama. The Penguin (Sept 19, HBO) continues The Batman saga, and Midnight Family (Sept 25, Apple TV+) follows a family-run ambulance service in Mexico City. Read More

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Emily James on the collaborative creation of 'Coronaville'

After two decades in the factual sector and training in documentary directing at the U.K. National Film and Television School, Emily James decided to transition to drama after shadowing Jim Loach on an ITV drama. Inspired by his work, she aimed to pivot her career but faced challenges breaking into scripted productions. While in L.A. during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, James found herself stuck indoors and realised she needed to find a new way to cope with the unexpected situation. Read More

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Paramount ANZ on why it wants more big Australian scripted dramas

Paramount ANZ is pushing for more large-scale Australian scripted dramas, emphasising the difference between content for streaming platforms and free-to-air (FTA) television. The company believes high-quality, locally produced dramas are key to attracting and retaining viewers, particularly in a competitive streaming market. This focus reflects Paramount's commitment to investing in Australia's creative industry and delivering content that resonates with audiences. Read More

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See-Saw's development producer Billy Bowring on how a project makes its way onto the Oscar-winning company's slate

Billy Bowring, development producer at See-Saw Films, shares insights into selecting projects for the company's slate. Bowring discusses the criteria that See-Saw Films uses to evaluate potential projects, focusing on originality, storytelling, and marketability. Read More

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Latin America is poised for its 'Money Heist' moment

As Latin American content continues to gain international traction, industry experts believe the region is on the brink of a significant breakthrough, similar to the global success of Money Heist. This thought leadership piece explores the factors contributing to Latin America's rising prominence in the global media landscape, including its rich storytelling traditions and the growing demand for diverse narratives. Read More

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UK film tax relief claims not back to pre-pandemic levels

According to HMRC, the UK paid out £553 million in film tax relief (FTR) in the financial year ending March 31, 2023, a 6% increase from the previous year. Despite the rise, FTR payments have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. There were 895 FTR claims in 2022-23, up from £520 million in the previous year. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of FTR claims steadily increased year-on-year. Read More

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Oscar-nominated Petra Costa, Director of Venice’s ‘Apocalypse in the Tropics,’ on How Brazil Serves as a ‘Parable’ for the U.S.

Four years after her Oscar nomination for The Edge of Democracy, director Petra Costa returns with Apocalypse in the Tropics, a documentary that world premieres in the Out of Competition section at the Venice Film Festival. Initially focused on former president Jair Bolsonaro’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film evolved into an exploration of how democracies can shift toward theocracies, highlighting the growing influence of Brazil’s evangelical movement, which has surged from 5% of the population in the 1980s to over 30% today. Read More

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Streaming Ratings: No Originals Make Overall Top 10 for First Time Ever

The Olympics drove impressive streaming numbers for Peacock during the first full week of the games, but other streamers saw a decline. No original series or movie made Nielsen’s top 10 streaming titles for the week of July 29-Aug. 4, a first in the rankings' four-year history. Streaming outside the Olympics dropped significantly, according to Nielsen. However, House of the Dragon on Max performed well, leading up to its second season finale with 1.31 billion minutes of viewing, which was the best of the season. Read More

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Asia Content Investment Slows to Single-Figure Growth, Says Report: ‘Many Traditional TV Drama Producers Are Struggling to Compete’

Investment in content for theatrical film, TV, and streaming markets in India and East Asia reached $15.5 billion in 2023. Still, growth slowed to just 4%, a significant drop from the peak during the COVID-driven surge in 2021-22, according to Media Partners Asia's 2024 Asia Video Content Dynamics report. India led with a 12% growth, primarily fueled by sports content, while Indonesia saw a 5% increase. Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand had modest gains, but Malaysia and Vietnam faced contractions due to challenging advertising markets. Korea and India together accounted for 80% of the total content investment in 2023. Read More